Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been severely sanctioned by Western countries led by the United States. Amid the tense situation, Russia revealed on the 5th that WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested at a Russian airport in February.
The Russian Customs Service said in a statement on the 5th that an American women’s professional basketball player who had won two Olympic gold medals was detained in Russia in February, but did not release her identity or specify the exact date of her arrest.
After the player arrived at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, a drug-sniffing dog sniffed something strange in her carry-on luggage and found she was in possession of a marijuana-containing e-cigarette, the statement said. According to Russian law, the sentence is 5 to 10 years in prison.
Russian state media TASS cited sources as saying that the player is Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner; she was a seven-time All-Star and helped the U.S. team in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2021 won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Greiner’s agent and a Phoenix Mercury spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the US Women’s Basketball release said: “Greiner has the full support of the Women’s Professional Basketball team and our top priority is to Let her return to the United States quickly and safely.”
The news came on the same day that the U.S. State Department reissued travel advisories, calling on U.S. citizens not to travel to Russia, while U.S. citizens in Russia “should leave Russia immediately,” saying Russian officials could harass U.S. citizens.
According to the British “Guardian” report, before this, two other US marines and an American teacher were arrested in Russia. U.S. officials have accused Moscow of using the detentions as leverage in a potential prisoner swap.
